Exceptionally rare complete collection of the earliest views of Russian cities on the Volga river and in Siberia, engraved by Russian masters. An excellent example.

These views are part of a series that includes a total of 34 prints. The process of their publication spanned almost forty years (from the creation of the first drawings until the prints were issued) and involved seven artists and twelve Russian engravers. The cities were drawn on the spot between 1733 and 1766 during two great expeditions; the originals were later corrected and re-worked between 1748 and 1768, before being printed at the Academy between 1769 and 1771.

The views offered here of Mangazey and other Siberian cities are based on drawings made during the Great Northern Expedition (1733–1743), ordered by Empress Anna Ioanovna. Under the leadership of Vitus Bering the expedition was charged with mapping the eastern reaches of Siberia and, if possible, continuing on to the western shores of North America in order to explore and map them as well. The twenty eight views of towns encountered on the way, including Novgorod, Tver, Kazan, Tobolsk and Yakutsk, were drawn by the expedition artists J.C. Berckhan and J.W. Lursenius. Delays in passing the drawings to the Engraving Chamber and disruptions in the engraving process meant the plates were not finished until 1771.

The twelve views of cities in the European part of Russia, including Kokshaysk, Sinbirsk, Kuznetsk and Penza, are based on original drawings by Alexander Ivanovich Svechin (end of 1720s – 1796). Svechin, a colonel and artist, headed an expedition to the Volga region in 1765, commissioned by Catherine the Great in order to investigate whether Kazan's oak forests would provide a decent timber supply for the construction of Russia's naval fleet. With the help of a camera obscura, Svechin produced twenty-eight drawings during this trip, including fourteen views of cities on the Volga river that Makhaev then had to review on Catherine's orders. The result was twelve amended versions of the cities, in which the artist corrected inaccuracies of perspective and unified the composition. In December 1768 the drawings were finally sent to the Engraving Chamber of the Academy of Sciences.

The engraved plates were sold individually and are exceptionally rare.

We were able to trace only two copies comprising all 34 views, both in Russia – in the collections of the State Hermitage Museum and the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Outside Russia the collection of these views was found only in the Eton library, where the copy, in a modern binding, is lacking one plate.
Complete examples are of exceptional rarity, as the engraved plates were sold individually.

Absent from all usual Russian bibliographies and great collections. We were able to trace only two copies comprising all 34 views, both in Russia – in the collections of the State Hermitage Museum and the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Outside Russia the collection of these views was found only in the Eton College library, where the copy, in a modern binding, is lacking one plate.

List of plates:
1. Видъ Зилантова монастыря въ близости Казани = Vue du Monastere Zilantow dans les Environs de Casan.
Image: 19.3 x 26 cm; plate: 21 x 26 cm; sheet: 28.3 x 40.5 cm (Landscape format; pasted on early XIX c. paper);
2. Видъ города Сызрани съ приeзда къ Сeверо-Востоку = Vue de Sizran du côté de l'Est prise du chemin sur le bord de la riviere.
Image: 30.5 x 42.4 cm; Plate: 33.5 x 43 cm (landscape format);
3. Видъ города Синбирска съ приeзда къ Сeверо-Западу = Vue de la Ville de Sinbirsk au Nord-ouest en entrant.
Image: 30.5 x 42.4 cm; Plate: 35 x 43 cm (landscape format);
4. Видъ города Якуцка = Vue de la ville de Iakoutzk.
Видъ города Иркуцка = Vue de la ville de Irkoutzk.
Each image 14 x 44 cm; plate: 35 x 49.3 cm, (landscape format);
5. Видъ Невiанскаго завода = Vue des fabriques de Newiansk.
Видъ города Красноярска = Vue de la Ville de Krasnoiarsk.
Each image 14.8 x 44 cm; plate: 34.5 x 49.3 cm, (landscape format);
6. Вид города Саранска с приезду на восток = Vue la Ville de Saransk du côté de l'Est en entrant
Image: 30.5 x 42 cm; Plate: 34 x 44 cm (landscape format);
7. Видъ города Тюменя = Vue de la Ville de Tiumen.
Видъ города Екатеринбурга = Vue de la Ville de Catherinebourg.
Each image 15.5 x 44.5 cm; plate: 36 x 47 cm (landscape format);
8. Вид города Чебоксара на р. Волгу к северу = Vue de la Ville de Tschebaksar sur le Volga du cote du Nord.
Image: 30.7 x 42.4 cm; Plate: 34.5 x 44 cm (landscape format);
9. Вид Кокшайска на Волге = Vue de la Kokchajsk du Cote de Wolga.
Image 16.3 x 43 cm; plate 18.5 x 44.5 cm;
Астрахань
Image 16.6 x 43.2 cm; plate 19.6 x 45 cm; (Impressions from two plates on two conjoined sheets, landscape format);
10. Видъ города Владимира отъ Москвы съ прeзда къ Сeверо-Западу = Vue de la Ville de Vladimir du côté du Nord-Ouest, prise du chemin de Moscou.
Image: 30.5 x 42 cm; plate: 34.3 x 44,5 cm (landscape format);
11. Видъ города Пензы на Суру р. къ сeверо-востоку = Vue de la Ville de Pénze sur la Soura du côté du Nord-Est.
Image: 30.7 x 42 cm; plate: 34.5 x 44.2 cm (landscape format);
12. Вид города Свияжска при водополии к полудню = Vue de la Ville de Sviajsk du cote du Midi prise Lors du debordement.
Image: 30.7 x 42.8 cm; plate: 12. 33 x 44 cm (landscape format);
13. Видъ города Илимска = Vue de la ville d'Ilimsk.
Вид города Енисейска = Vue de la ville de Ieniseisk.
Each image 14.6 x 44.8 cm; plate 35 x 49.4 cm (landscape format);
14. Вид города Тобольска = Vue de la Ville de Tobolsk.
Image 15.5 x 41.5cm
Вид города Пелыма = Vue de la Ville de Pelim.
Image 14.2 x 41.2 cm; Plate: 35 x 49.3 cm (landscape format);
15. Видъ города Мангазей = Vue de la Ville de Mangasei.
Видъ города Кузнецка = Vue de la Ville de Kousnezk.
Each image 16.8 x 32 cm; plate 49 x 35.5 cm (portrait format) ;
16. Видъ Удинскаго острога = Vue de la place fortifiée Oudinsk.
Видъ города Туринска = Vue de la Ville de Tourinsk
Each image 16.4 x 31.5 cm, plate: 49 x 34.7 cm (portrait format);
17. Видъ Новагорода = Vue de la Ville de Novogrod
Видъ города Томска = Vue de la Ville de Tomsk.
Each image 17.6 x 31.8 cm, plate: 49 x 34.7 cm, (portrait format)
18. Видъ Кяхтинской слободы = Vue de la slabode Kiachta.
Видъ Бронницкой горы, близъ Новагорода = Vue de la Montagne de Broniza, près de Novogorod.
Each image 17.6 x 32.1 cm, plate: 49.3 x 34.5 cm, (portrait format);
19. Видъ города Твери съ приeзда отъ С.Петербурга, щедротами Екатерины II возобновленный = Vue de la Ville de Twer du côté du Nord-Ouest, renouvellee par la munificence de Catherine II.
Image: 33.5 x 68 cm; plate 69 x 36.2 cm (folding), signed in plate Грид. Николай Сад. (landscape format);
20. Видъ Казани, во время водополья Рeки Казанки, къ Сeверо-Западу представленный = Vue de la Ville de Casan du côté du Nord-Ouest prise lors du debordement de la Casanka.
Image: 33.5 x 68 cm; plate: 69 x 35 cm (landscape format);
21. Видъ города Верхотурья = Vue de la Ville de Werchotourie.
Image 18.5 x 33 cm
Видъ города Тары = Vue de la Ville de Tara.
Image: 18 x 33 cm, plate: 49 x 35 cm (portrait format);
22. Видъ города Селенгинска = Vue de la ville de Selenguinsk.
Image: 18 x 33.2 cm
Видъ города Нерчинска = Vue de la ville de Nertschinsk.
Image: 16.7 x 33 cm; plate: 49 x 35 cm (portrait format).

Folio (56.2 x 44 cm). 34 engraved views by many engravers after various artists, including 12 of the cities in European Russia and 22 of Siberia, on 22 leaves, with captions in Russian and French, printed on Dutch handmade paper watermarked C & I Honig IV, one engraving signed in the plate by N.Ya. Sablin; the first view (Zilantov monastery) cut and pasted at the time of binding on paper watermarked "Whatman 1818", views of Kokshaysk and Astrakhan conjoined. Early 19th-century half calf over marbled boards, gilt rules, spine with raised bands, gilt lettering in second compartments, gilt decorative elements in others; joints restored.


Алексеева М. А. «Собрание Российских и Сибирских городов». Серия гравюр XVIII века, Сообщения Гос. Рус. Музея, вып. VIII, 1964; Алексеева М. А. "Михайло Махаев - мастер видового рисунка XVIII века", 2003, pp. 237-245; Rovinsky Slovar II-650; cf. Gubar 2590; not in Svodniy Katalog.